It is known that, usually, hospital structures comprise a washing plant in order to effect a pre-wash, wash, heat disinfection and sterilization of objects, such as for example instruments used in the operating rooms and hence potentially infected and not sterile, before being able to re-use them.
In particular, known washing plants are normally divided into several sectors, isolated from each other for hygienic reasons and called, respectively, the “dirty” sector, or reception sector, the “clean” sector and the “sterile” sector.
The dirty objects to be subjected to the various treatments arrive in the first sector, or dirty sector. The treatments carried out are generally a pre-wash with cold water only, a possible wash in an ultra-sound bath, a wash with hot water and possible detergents, the necessary rinses, a heat disinfection and a final drying. In particular, the heat disinfection, which is a particular type of wash, is effected with hot water, usually at a temperature comprised between about 90° C. and about 93° C.
Usually the pre-wash is effected by means of a battery of suitable pre-wash machines or units, for example two or three, disposed aligned according to a determinate axis of alignment, so as to operate in series with one another.
Heat disinfection, on the other hand, is effected in a battery of suitable washer machines, for example five or six, according to the necessary production, aligned according to a respective axis of alignment, so as to operate in parallel with each other.
The objects to be washed are picked up at exit from the last pre-wash unit and fed to the washer and heat disinfection machine available at that moment.
Each washer and heat disinfection machine, since it is operating in parallel with the other washer machines, and consists of a washing chamber with an aperture facing towards the dirty side and an opposite aperture facing towards the clean side, must be fed in a direction orthogonal to its axis of alignment with the other washer and heat disinfection machines. On the contrary, in the pre-wash machines, since they operate in series, the direction of feed coincides with the axis of alignment along which the pre-wash battery develops.
Normally therefore, the second washer and heat disinfection battery is disposed downstream of the pre-wash battery and with its axis of alignment perpendicular to the axis of alignment of the pre-wash battery. Therefore, the axis of alignment of the pre-wash units is orthogonal to the axis of alignment of the washer and heat disinfection machines. In this way the objects exiting from the last pre-wash unit are ready to be directed directly to the washer and heat disinfection machines.
Examples of embodiments of such washing plants are to be found in the European patent applications no 06124039.6 and no 06124017.2 in the name of the present Applicant.
After they have been heat disinfected and dried, the objects pass to the second clean sector where they are possibly packed and, from here, they are fed to a battery of sterilization machines which provide to sterilize them, generally autoclaves that operate in parallel and typically are aligned in a direction parallel to the washing and heat disinfection battery.
The objects thus sterilized pass to the subsequent third sterile sector where they are stored or returned to the operating room for use.
One disadvantage of known washing plants is that, to effect at least the pre-wash and the washing and heat disinfection, they have a very high bulk when installed.
Purpose of the present invention is to achieve a washing plant which does not occupy much space, which is compact and allows easy passage from the battery of pre-wash units to the battery of washer and heat disinfection machines.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.